Almost There
by infinitemoonx
Summary: Day 5 of Joshaya Week - Maya and Josh when Maya works at Topanga's. We're almost there, Maya. So close to that happy ending. Just hold on and go on dreaming until we know we've won…. The long game. Rated T. JOSHAYA.


Maya heard the bells on top of the doors giving entry to Topanga's jingle with a flurry, signaling a last-minute customer had entered into the abode. Absentmindedly, unaware of who had entered, she told said person they were closed while simultaneously picking up a jar of jelly beans on the counter with one hand, cleaning the table with a rag in the other.

That voice. She hadn't heard it in years. It was refreshing, and so sudden that she felt she was just dreaming it. But when she looked up from her gaze on her jar of miscellaneous shaped and coloured jelly beans, she knew it was no mirage.

She couldn't mistake those blue eyes for anyone else. The way it twinkled and glimmered with such fervor that she'd never see in anyone else. The boyish grin always made her weak in the knees, and to be honest, she'd truly missed it. She'd missed _him_. Joshua Gabriel Matthews.

Maya stuttered, gasped, and stammered at the sight of him looking into her eyes. Consequently, the jar in one of her hands was soon forgotten, tumbling and slipping away from her fingers as she tried to still absorb the shock that Josh had brought with him inside Topanga's.

"Whoa~!" Having good reflexes since childhood, his hands wrapped around her own as they both caught the jar in time before it shattered to the ground with a hurl. The world seemed to stop, and the snowfall occurring outside their little world added to the ambiance, creating an atmosphere where it was just them, cerulean eyes meeting each other in an intense gaze.

Realizing what was happening, she quickly got a grip over herself, evading his gaze and awkwardly setting the jar on the counter, and straightening out her black apron worn on her lower midriff. "Thanks," she stuttered.

"It's, uh, it's been a while." His body language mirrored ones of a familiar Christmas Matthews family evening. Hands slightly in his pocket, trying to shake off the nervousness and heavy pain he was feeling in his chest seeing the beautiful woman in front of him.

"Sure has." She mimicked her younger self, adorning a pleasant smile that made his insides melt.

"Time did good to you."

Maya was flustered at his comment, slightly taken aback by his forwardness. Nonetheless, she was ecstatic inside. "Thanks, you too."

Although, unlike last time, he couldn't walk away as an excuse to catch up with his younger nephew. Times had indeed changed, and running was no longer an option.

Albeit he had a hunch, by looking at the black apron tied around her waist, he still felt the need to be cordial and ask. "So shouldn't you be at home with Riley by your bay window, or sorts right about now?"

"Actually, Riley's gone with Lucas this Christmas break to Texas, you know, to meet his parents and all. _Formally._ And my mom actually has a bit of the flu, and Shaw - I mean _Dad_ (she still had yet to get used to this new name for him) - is taking care of her at home, so I offered to work today instead."

Josh nodded in understanding.

"So, what's your story?" Maya asked.

"Actually, I dropped by to pick up some stuff." He further explained he left some school-related stuff at Cory's last weekend, and he needed them this weekend to work on a project. He was so busy this week that he didn't get a chance to drop by, so his older brother had told him he'd just leave the package at Topanga's, which was closer to his university for his ease.

"I would've been here sooner, but the weather out there is brutal."

Maya looked out the window at his comment. It was true. The blizzard was the worst they'd seen so far this season. It might even top last year's storms.

She looked back at him, and they both parted their lips at the same time – "so how's senior year/final year treating you?"

Maya and Josh both chuckled, their gazes downward for a moment.

They looked back up, azure eyes meeting again:

"You first." – again at the same time.

They stared at each other for what seems like forever. Until Maya broke the staring contest.

"Ladies first."

Maya smiled at his chivalry. "Senior year is, well senior year. Christmas break is real busy with college applications and stuff."

"Oh? Where were you thinking of applying?" He was secretly hoping she would apply to NYU, but of course he wouldn't admit that to his conscience.

She went on to explain her top 3 choices. He loved the way her face lit up when she talked about art. At some point, he got lost in those cerulean eyes, her voice fading out. It picked back up again when she started to talk about NYU as one of her choices. After all, it had a great art program, and if she went there, she could really save her parents a bunch of money going towards her college education. Going to a local college for post-secondary education had its perks.

"But enough about me. What about you? Final year, huh."

A smile crept up on his lips as he spoke. "Actually, no. I'm in a five-year co-op program, so still one more year to go."

"Oh." That was all that came out of Maya's mouth. Inside, she was a wreck, trying to stay as calm as possible on the outside. With this new piece of information, she was seriously contemplating the possibility of seeing Josh on-campus almost every day if she got accepted to NYU next year.

Few moments of comfortable silence passed between the duo until Maya straightened herself. "Well, I should probably go check in the back for your stuff. Wait here, I'll go have a look."

Josh rubbed a hand through his hair anxiously while she disappeared into the back. He knew she would be here. He had called Cory to let him know he was going to drop by and have his stuff ready, and that was when he had told him with a knowing voice that Maya would be there. But even though he was aware he would be meeting her, it didn't prepare him for this. Seeing her again after all these years was sending his mind into a heightened state of disarray. It was bad enough that he couldn't get his mind off of her recently for the past couple of years. That being said, Josh was scared to admit the growing feelings inside him. So much time had passed since the time she had expressed her feelings for him. He feared that Maya had gotten over him.

His thoughts were interrupted when the lights suddenly went out, and he found himself surrounded by darkness. A cold air passed through the expanse of the bakery and diner. A scream follows. One that was far too familiar. _That sounded like…_

"Maya!"

He ran immediately towards the back, trying to get to the place where he thought he had heard her voice come from. But it was too dark, he couldn't see anything, let alone her. "Maya, where are you?" Panic was growing inside him, apprehensive of what might've happened to her.

"Down here."

He turned his form towards the voice again, and could faintly make out a figure on the ground. Immediately, relief washes over him, finding comfort in the fact that he had found her. He didn't waste another moment before running over to her and crouching down to her level, his knees hitting the cold ground. Maya felt his touch as he grabbed onto her shoulders. His hands were shaking, wavering, rubbing up and down, while his voice was frantic and worrisome, meeting her gaze, asking if she was alright. His voice went off on a tangent, rising in level, muttering rapid words of worry and fear.

"Josh!" She firmly placed her hands on his shoulders. "I'm fine. I was just grabbing your stuff when the lights went out and tripped on my two left feet." In the process, she realized that she had a slight muscle cramp, causing her to wince in pain while trying to get up. Of course, she didn't want to let him know that; he was already so worked up.

"Oh, thank goodness." Realizing how close they were, he pulled back, creating space between them. "C'mon let's go back to the front. I'll drop you home." No way he would let her walk home in this kind of storm. He turned around, his back facing her to go back to the front end of the store. Unaware of Maya's state, he continued on but stopped in his tracks hearing a wince of pain erupting from her lips. Whipping his head around, he saw that she was struggling to get up, experiencing difficulty in standing on her own two feet. Guilt seeped through him – he should've just come with her in the back to get his stuff.

"You _are_ hurt!" Immediately, he beckoned to her, by her side in a flash. "Maya, why didn't you tell me?" His eyes were wide and accusing.

"Really Josh, I'm fine. Just a small cramp or something." In reality, the pain in her foot was going off like a siren, and she had to keep biting her lip to prevent any pained muffles coming out of her mouth.

"A _small_ cramp? You can't even stand on your own two feet!"

"Gee thanks for telling me I'm a cripple."

He sighed with exasperation. Before she even knew what was happening, he brought her arm across his shoulders so she could lean on him, and he placed his hand on her waist to give her support. "C'mon, let's go."

Both stole glances at each other as Maya limped forward, in toe with the boy beside her. When one would look and gaze, the other would concentrate their gaze ahead. Maya was astonished at the amount of concern he had for her; meanwhile, Josh was surprised at his own actions, wondering why her cries of pain elicited such a vigorous response from him. It was then he realized he was now past the denial stage; he feared he was perhaps in _love_ with Maya Hart.

Realizing that they were bound to bump into something by walking through the darkness, Josh pulled out his phone from his pocket to shed some light.

Soon enough, they found their way to the lounge area. He gently set her down on the sofa.

As soon as he did so however, the pain became unbearable now, her foot throbbing.

Josh said nothing. He pulled her foot out of her boot, and sparks of electricity jolted up her body as she felt his fingers grazing on her skin as he pulled it onto his lap, taking a seat beside her.

"NO STOP!"

Josh flinched at the urgency of her voice.

Maya felt guilty for putting him through such an awkward moment, not to mention she felt utterly weak that she couldn't handle this kind of pain. She'd been through so much more tougher emotional pain. She didn't want him to see her as some weak girl. "You don't have to do this. It's just a cramp, it'll go away soon."

"Maya." His voice turned gentle, causing her to suddenly be absorbed in his blue eyes. His hand wrapped around her ankle in a certain way, but she was too engrossed in the intensity of his stare to notice. "There's something I need to tell you, and I've been meaning to say this to you for a long time."

She was so distracted by him that she was totally unprepared for what happened next. Josh abruptly twisted her foot, bending it forcefully in a particular way, causing Maya to let out an instant cry of pain. She was out of breath, taken aback by his action. All Maya did in return is stare at him in awe of what he'd just done.

A smirk forms on his lips as he let go, putting her foot back on the ground.

Maya looked at him, then at her foot, weary of what might happen next. She slowly moved her foot barely, afraid of the pain. But to her surprise, nothing. She moved it again, and again – no pain. It was as if the pain was never there in the first place.

She was stunned, not knowing what to say. She opened her mouth, but nothing was coming out. "How – "

"Matthews' family remedy #525, courtesy of Mama Matthews." The smirk and boyish grin reappeared as he looked at her with a playful gaze.

"I see. Remind me to thank your mother the next time I see her."

"Hey Josh, what you were saying before – what did you want to tell me?"

Josh smiled before looking out the window, his lips curving downward. "Looks like the storm caused this blackout, we're snowed in."He said, avoiding her question.

Horror etched across her face as she saw what he explained. The front door was indeed covered in snow, indicating no way out without a snowplow, or something along those lines. But since the light was out….

"Your phone isn't dead by any chance too is it?" She questioned, her last hope of getting into contact with any of her family and friends hanging on to one last thread.

The defeated frown on his face just confirmed the eradication of her last piece of hope. "Afraid so." He'd used the last of his battery in using light to bring her on the couch they were currently seated on.

Silent moments passed between the duo, neither one saying a word. It wasn't an awkward one. just moments where they were in a fix, and it was clear that they wouldn't be able to do anything until someone noticed Maya was missing.

"Guess we're stuck with each other, huh."

Josh looked to his right, up from the ground at the sound of her voice. "Yeah," He let out a chuckle from the boyish grin on his face. "Although I've been told I make great company."

It was Maya's turn to let out a slight laugh. "Oh, I don't doubt that." She slightly shivered, and this got Josh's attention. With no power or electricity, the heat in the building had shut off, leaving Maya and Josh exposed to the cold of the storm outside. Josh, of course, was used to it, as the dorm he stayed in didn't have good heat insulation in his building. His body had adapted to external cold temperatures. But Maya, on the other hand, was a different story.

She flinched and automatically turned her head to see Josh inches away from her, unaware of what his intentions were. After feeling a warmth around her shoulders, she was surprised at her gesture, looking at her shoulders to see he had taken his jacket off to give her warmth.

"Josh, you don't have to do this. You'll get sick!"

"Don't worry, I'm used to it." After further explaining, Maya relaxed, her guilt fading away.

"Hey, you got candles anywhere in here?"

Maya's face lit up with realization. Why didn't she think of that? "Yeah, they're in the drawer behind the cash register; the matches are in there too."

 _Say no more._ Initially fumbling and stumbling to find the area of the cash counter, he finally made his way back to her, returning with candles and matchstick in hand.

Maya helped him out, grasping the candle by its roots, making sure it stayed firm on the oak table in front of them. Josh was on his knees by the table, taking a matchstick out. After a small ember ignited from the slender stick, he cupped the palm that didn't have the stick in it in a semi-circle around the candle, to bring light to the area. Both individuals were so busy in the process that they were taken aback when they were suddenly inches away, bent over the table, the glow of the small ember illuminating their faces.

Silent moments passed between the two. Neither former could tear their gaze away from the latter. It was like all their pent-up emotions inside were finally coming out, neither one denying the undeniable chemistry they shared.

The moment broke, and distance was created between the two again. Awkward glances were stolen from each other here and there as both sat back onto the sofa.

Josh randomly let out a laugh.

"What? What is it?"

"Oh, oh no nothing." He looked at the quizzical expression on her face, and smiled. "This situation just reminds me of a similar situation I was stuck in in first year winter term."

"Is that so? What happened?" Maya was now intrigued. She always wanted to get to know him more, to get to know the real Joshua Matthews, to be able to connect with him on a level where he would be willing to be around her. She wanted him to confide in her, to tell him every little thing that he deemed important in his life.T

"Oh, it's a long story." He mused.

"Well, it's not like we're going anywhere." She gestured to their own surroundings.

Josh followed her gaze, seeing they were literally enveloped by darkness, apart from the little world of light they had created just around the two of them. He met her eyes after, his smile creeping up on his lips, leaving the boyish grin she always loved. "Alright."

Maya couldn't feel happier as he started to tell the tale of how him and Andrew were stuck in the architecture building after writing a midterm. Listening to him speak with such fervor and excitement brought much warmth to her heart. It was just like that connection that her best friend shared with Hopalong. Even though Riley and Lucas had been together for the past two years, she now finally understood the depth of their relationship, and why she and Lucas could never share that same connection that Riley and he did. Because they were never meant to. She was meant to have her heart-to-Hart with the one that had taken her heart since she probably didn't even know what love or emotions were – Joshua Gabriel Matthews.

In no time, it went from a simple story to conversations and catching-up between them. They shared everything that had been going on in their lives since the last time they had really talked. Josh told her about all his adventures in college, and the crazy things he did with his buddies; while Maya told him about all the crazy adventures she went on with Riley and the rest of their friends.

Silence fell when Josh suddenly felt something plop onto his shoulder while he was talking to her. He turned his head sideways to see that she had fallen asleep, her head on his shoulder. She looked so peaceful and serene, a stray strand of her blonde hair falling out of place and onto her face. Josh felt a smile play on his lips as he witnessed the sight, and involuntarily used his fingers to tuck the irregular piece of hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered for a moment too long on the side of her cheek, unable to prevent himself from ceasing to admire her serenity.

"What I wanted to tell you Maya, was that I can't stop thinking about you. Every day, you haunt my mind, heart, and soul. Everywhere I go, you're always there. Heck, I even have this alter ego that's talking to me, trying to convince me of how deep I feel for you. I've tried pushing it away, push _you_ away, but I can't. I can't do it any longer. I'm tired of fighting it, tired of everything."

With a smile playing on his lips, he pressed his lips gently to the top of her forehead, his eyes closed. His lips lingered for a moment before pulling away, and he simply gazed her away, admiring her like she was the most beautiful and wonderful girl in the universe.

"I love you, Maya Hart."

 _They were so close, yet so far away._

With a final, longing look at the blonde effervescent girl in his arms, he rested his chin on her head before falling into deep slumber, joining her serene dreams of hope.

He wasn't sure when he entered through those front doors today whether she still harbored feelings for him in her dungeon of sadness, but after the events that had transpired tonight, he knew with certainty that she still felt the same way about him as she did before. The way she looked at him and gazed into his eyes with such desire and well, _love_ , had finally threw all the confusion out of his mind and heart.

 _We're almost there, Maya. So close to that happy ending. Just hold on and go on dreaming until we know we've won…._

 _The long game._

 **And there you have it! I don't even know what I wrote to be honest, It's cheesy af at parts and it got kind of rushed near the end. I swear I'm trying to get better haha.  
\- Addie **


End file.
